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Central Mass Voodoo work their softball magic

By Matt Stewart, Correspondent

Updated:
07/19/2017 09:40:18 AM EDT

The Central Mass Voodoo 18U squad got off to a great start this tournament season, going 6-0 over the weekend of June 24, outscoring opponents by a combined 45-5 margin on their way to winning the championship trophy. This was the 18U team's second tournament championship in a row dating back to last summer. From left: Franchesca Storms, Morgan Cormier, Rose McGovern, Kylee Heap, Jessica Sousa, Tea Preston, Taylor Colvin, Sam Maglione, Devan Mobley, Bailey Nelson, Kelsey Joyce and Mariah Kaczor. The team is coached by Chris Colvin and Ed Kaczor. COURTESY PHOTO

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LEOMINSTER -- The Central Mass Voodoo began as a humble organization seven years ago, but a lot has changed since then.

The Voodoo are now one of the larger and most successful ASA/USA Softball teams in the region, offering a robust local circuit as well as presenting opportunities for players to take part in national competitions.

"With the travel teams, we play pretty high-end competitive softball at all of our age groups," Voodoo President Mike Nelson said. "Our teams are highly competitive, and I think our program is looked upon as one of the elite travel programs in all of Massachusetts, and maybe New England. It's been a wonderful experience with great coaches and kids at all of the levels. They truly dedicate themselves to softball."

In 2010 a group of local athletes assembled to create one U12 softball team called the Leominster Voodoo. Now, just seven years later, more than 100 girls are in the program. The team calls the Leominster/Fitchburg area home, but some of its players travel from more than an hour away to take part.

The age ranges span 10U to 18-plus, with eight teams in the program. The 10U, 14U, 18U, and 18-plus have one team each, while 12U and 16U each have two teams. The structure of the association is similar to AAU, where athletes practice during the week and travel to tournaments on the weekend.

"Next year we plan to add an additional team to the program because the demand has been so high," Nelson said.

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"My girlfriend, Lisa Nugent, and I started this back in 2010 with 13 girls. It basically just exploded."

The U12 team, coached by Derek Asadoorian, has been making plenty of headlines lately. USA Softball started a World Series-like competition called the USA Softball All-American Games, dividing the nation into regions and developing a national all-star lineup. Five players from Asadoorian's team will represent the Northeast team at the championship from Aug. 18-20 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

More than 460 players tried out for the Northeast squad, and only 45 made the final cut.

"Out of those limited spots, the Central Mass Voodoo garnered five of those spots," Nelson said. "That is an unbelievable feat in itself. It's akin to the Little League World Series, for softball."

The cost for each athlete to participate is about $1,000, but that fee is all-inclusive when it comes to softball expenses. However, for the extensive travel teams, that number does not include hotel costs.

Practices start in the winter in a weight training facility, and toward the end of the winter the teams practice in indoor batting cages. The whole program runs about nine months, ending in October.

"We're probably one of the more affordable programs for what we offer," Nelson said. "The kids get everything they can possible imagine for that type of money. Between the tournaments, the practices, the indoor facility, the game uniforms, the practice uniforms, insurance, the bat-bags, the helmets, and a whole bunch of other good stuff."

Tina Joyce handles the photography, website, registration and finance for all of the teams, and has been with Nugent and Nelson since the beginning. Players interested in joining can visit the Central Mass Voodoo online through hometeamsonline.com.

Tryouts for the various Voodoo teams are scheduled for the second and third weeks in August, and more information about registration is on the team's website. Tryouts begin Aug. 7 at St. Bernard's Athletic Complex, with age-specific nights for making each team. Saturday. Aug. 19 is a tryout date for all ages. Participants must pre-register through the website before arriving.